If you’re an American like I am, you might wonder how other societies treat one another, given our recent penchant for division based on silly and often meaningless things.

Traveling internationally allows you to see this internal relationship firsthand and hold up other countries in comparison to where you call home. You can then take these observations and allow them to inform how you treat your fellow citizens when you return.

If you visit a country that is over-the-top in the way they respect one another, what could it possibly hurt to mirror this behavior where you live?

Granted, this could go the wrong way if you visit places that are actively engaged in conflict, but you should use your judgment to decide if you want to visit those places at all. I want to see all of these places too, but I would delay plans if I deemed them to be too risky based on the information I can collect from reputable sources.

When you visit another country, you are a guest. How would you treat guests from other nations in your own home or community? You may need to spend some time reflecting on the question and deciding how you feel about your answers. What you find out may let you know a great deal about yourself and where your travels should take you.